New Farah Provincial Council gets a fresh start

Photo By Master Sgt. Tracy DeMarco | Abdul Hamid Hamid, who was internally elected to be the Farah Provincial Council president for 2010, leads the second meeting of the new nine district representatives, Jan. 25, Farah, Afghanistan. This is Hamid's second term as he served on the council for 2009 as well. The first meeting was held on Jan. 20, and focused on how the representatives would work together with a foundation of respect. Farah Province Gov. Rahool Amin and other local government leaders attended the first meeting at which Gov. Amin promised that the government will work with the Provincial Council "shoulder to shoulder". In a future meeting, the Provincial Council plans to meet with the line directors in Farah.  

FARAH CITY, AFGHANISTAN

01.25.2009

Story by Master Sgt. Tracy DeMarco 

Provincial Reconstruction Team Farah

FARAH PROVINCE, Afghanistan — Following the announcement of the new Farah Provincial Council, the nine leaders met for their second meeting and were visited by members of the Farah Provincial Reconstruction Team Integrated Command Team.

Out of the three re-elected council members from last year's group, Abdul Hamid Hamid was internally elected to be the council president for 2010. Hamid welcomed the senior civilian representative of the Farah Provincial Reconstruction Team, Gustavo Mejia, who works for the U.S. State Department, and the PRT commander, U.S. Navy Cmdr. Lawrence Vasquez.

"Thanks for coming, after a long time, to the Provincial Council meeting," Hamid said. "We need your help, advice and cooperation."

The discussion at the first meeting of the newly appointed council held Jan. 20, focused on how the representatives would work together with a foundation of respect.

"I'm glad to see the Provincial Council in session," said Vasquez. "It is a very important part of the government and serves the needs of the people."

To encourage information exchange, Mejia brought packets for the council members describing current PRT projects and future endeavours. The packets included briefs on 47 total projects.

"We have found, and it is my intent, that very few projects will come from our assessments," Vasquez explained. "Most of the projects will come from the provincial government, from you. You are closer to the people then we will ever be, so we are relying on you."

Hamid stated that the 2009 Provincial Council's effectiveness was only 30 to 40 percent due to lack of experience. "With the help of you, [the ICT], and our government we can be more like 80 to 90 percent effective," Hamid said.

The Provincial Council's top three priorities for Farah province include security, water, and electricity, with the most crucial being security.

"Security in Farah province is improving," said Mejia. "Things like electricity and roads are going to make the people think twice about accepting the Taliban back."

• Date Taken: 01.25.2009
• Date Posted: 02.05.2010 12:08
• Story ID: 44987
• Location: FARAH CITY, AF